Synonyms
Keywords
Electron carriers, photosynthesis, redox reactions, respiration
Definition
Electron transport refers to the transfer of electrons from an initial donor (reducing substance) to a final acceptor (oxidizing substance) across different intermediaries, which takes place in biological membranes. Electron transport processes are usually associated with respiratory and photosynthetic processes.
Overview
The most common ways by which living organisms obtain energy from their surroundings is by the oxidation of external electron donors (chemotrophic organisms), or by the absorption of electromagnetic radiation (phototrophic organisms). In both cases, the energy translation mechanisms take place in membranes (the cytoplasmic membranes in the case of prokaryotes, or subcellular particles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts in the case of eukaryotes). In the translation process, an electron transport takes place from a substance, which is an initial elect...
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Nelson DL, Cox MM (2005) Lehninger principles of biochemistry, 4th edn. W.H. Freeman, New York
Nicholls DG, Ferguson SJ (2002) Bioenergetics, 3rd edn. Academic Press, London
Voet D, Voet JG (2004) Biochemistry, 3rd edn. Wiley, New York
White D (1999) The physiology and biochemistry of prokaryotes, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, New York
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© 2011 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Montero, F. (2011). Electron Transport. In: Gargaud, M., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_499
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_499
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-11271-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-11274-4
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